NIGERIA FOOD AND CULTURE

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http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Country_Specific/Nigeria.html
African Studies center has the Nigerian page with links to a lot of on-line resources related to Nigeria.

http://www.elca.org/countrypackets/nigeria/desc.html
Country Packets has information on the history, people, economy, and other statistics.

http://www.motherlandnigeria.com/
Motherland Nigeria is a information site about Nigeria, including country information, democracy update, language samples and other facts.

http://www.odili.net/nigeria.html
NigeriaWeb has Nigerian News, forums, freemail, Nigerian pages, news archive.

http://nigeriaworld.com/
NigeriaWorld is an on-line newspaper.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ni.html
World Factbook on Nigeria includes maps and other information.

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Bonilla, C., R.K. Panguluri, L. Taliaferro-Smith, G. Argyropoulos, G. Chen, A.A. Adeyemo, A. Amoah, S. Owusu, J. Archeampong, K. Agyeim-Boateng. 2006 April. Agouti-related protein promoter variant associated with leanness and decreased risk for diabetes in West Africans. International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders : journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity. 30, (no. 4): 715-721.
Objective: The role of the central melanocortin system in the development of obesity has been extensively studied. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within several candidate genes have been associated with food intake and obesity-related phenotypes; however, few of these associations have been replicated. SNPs in the agouti-related protein (AGRP) gene coding (Ala67Thr, 199G/A) and promoter (-38C/T) have been reported to be associated with body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM) and percent body fat, in populations of European and African descent. In this study, we evaluated the association between the functional AGRP -38C/T promoter SNP and weight-related traits, namely BMI, FM and fat-free mass (FFM), as well as diabetes status. Design: An association study of the AGRP -38C/T SNP and indices of obesity and diabetes status. Subjects: A well-characterized population of 538 West Africans from Ghana and Nigeria recruited in the AADM (Africa America Diabetes Mellitus) study (mean age 52 years, 41.3% males, 71% diabetic). Measurements: Genotyping of the AGRP -38C/T SNP, BMI, FM, FFM and fasting plasma glucose. Results: Women carrying two copies of the variant T allele had significantly lower BMI (OR=0.47; 95% CI, 0.25-0.87). Also, men with at least one copy of the variant T allele were over two times less likely to be diabetic than other men (OR=0.44; 95% CI, 0.22-0.89). Conclusion: Our results replicate previous findings and implicate the AGRP -38C/T SNP in the regulation of body weight in West Africans.

Chimatiro, S.K. 1998April. Aquaculture production and potential for food safety hazards in sub-Saharan Africa: with special reference to Malawi. International journal of food science & technology. 33 (2): 169-176.
Aquaculture in Africa accounts for less than 2% of total domestic fish production. Although its contribution has expanded significantly from 59000 Mt in 1985 to 85000 Mt in 1990, the estimated potential is 3.5 million Mt per year. Of the 20 major species cultured, only Nile tilapia, African catfish and common carp are farmed throughout Africa. The leading fish culture producers, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia and Zambia, accounted for more than 95% of production in 1990. Production has remained static in many countries (e.g. Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria) and has decreased in others (e.g. Madagascar, Uganda). The potential for aquaculture in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region is 250000 t year- (present production is 5000 t year-1). Extensive, small-scale fish farming has expanded in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, where there are some 25000 fish ponds. Fish farming has virtually ceased in Angola and is negligible in other SADC countries. In South Africa, production increased 663% between 1982 and 1992, the fastest growth in the world. Aquaculture development in South Africa has been market driven, dominated by large-scale producers and no small-scale operators. Potential health hazards from aquaculture products arise from either contaminants that find their way into the fish during the process of farming (feed additives, drugs) or loss of quality due to poor handling and processing. Poor handling is the greatest potential food safety issue in sub-Saharan Africa, because much of aquaculture production is undertaken by small-scale farmers who grow and handle relatively small quantities. About 90% of the fish from capture fisheries in Africa is preserved by means of smoking or roasting (40%) and sun drying (50%). However, the bulk of fish from small-scale rural aquaculture is sold fresh, whole and ungutted at the pond site. Although the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission make provisions for regulating standards, there are no functional mechanisms to monito and enforce standards in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa (probably with the exception of South Africa). There is a need to define 'reasonable' critical control points that can easily be achieved by many aquaculture operators in the region. Information flow from producers to consumers and documentation of food safety hazards must also be established, and functional at national and regional level.

Lockie, G.M., J.W.T. Dickerson, 1991Aug. Food-choice and nutrient-intakes of male Nigerian students in Aberdeen. Journal of human nutrition and dietetics. 4 (4): 263-272.
Fifty-one male Nigerian students completed a questionnaire on their food-habits in Aberdeen and Nigeria. Few changes to food-habits were made during their stay in Aberdeen. Forty-five of the subjects used a food-diary to record their food-intake. Portion-weights from weighed intakes carried out by male Nigerian students were used to calculate nutrient-intake. The results differed from those reported in studies on Caucasians. Intake of some vitamins was low. Fibre-intake was a little lower than that reported for Africans by other researchers and the same as that reported for European students. The amount of energy supplied by carbohydrate, fat and saturated fat was in line with current recommendations for the United Kingdom.

Nnanyelugo, D.O., E.C. Okeke, 1987October. .Food habits and nutrient intakes of Nigerian University students in traditional halls of residence. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 6 (5): 369-374.
This study was conducted to determine a sampling of University students' dietary habits, based on food intake. Food habits and preferences were determined by questionnaire. The relationship of food intake to accepted standards of nutrient requirements was considered.

Odu, B.O., R. Asiedu, S.A. Shoyinka, J.D.'A., Hughes. 2006. .Screening of Water Yam (Dioscorea alata L.) Genotypes for Reactions to Viruses in Nigeria . Journal of phytopathology. Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd 154 (no. 11-12): 716-724.
Studies were made to identify sources of resistance to yam viruses in Dioscorea alata. Forty genotypes of D. alata were evaluated in both the field and in the screenhouse for reactions to the yam viruses: Yam mosaic virus (YMV), genus Potyvirus; Dioscorea alata virus (DAV), genus Potyvirus; Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), genus Cucumovirus; and Dioscorea alata bacilliform virus (DaBV), genus Badnavirus. The D. alata genotypes were planted in the field and subsequently scored for virus symptom severity. All the genotypes were also planted in an insect-proofed screenhouse, and challenged mechanically and by vectors for susceptibility to each of the viruses. Analysis of variance ( [smallcapital anova]) of the symptom severity scores showed that the genotypes responded differently (P < 0.01) to virus disease in the field. Field evaluation also showed that TDa 291 (a landrace genotype from Puerto Rico), Tda 87/01091, TDa 96-4, TDa 95-163 and TDa 289 from Nigeria, and TDa 95-25 (a landrace genotype from Ghana), had a low virus disease symptom rating. Overall screening results showed that two D. alata genotypes (TDa 289 and TDa 291) are good sources of resistance to YMV, DAV and CMV, and that they are tolerant to DaBV.

Ogbeide, O._ 1974. Nutritional hazards of food taboos and preferences in_ Mid-West Nigeria.__ American journal of clinical nutrition 27 (2)_:213-216

Onuoha, Geoffrey B.I. 1982 The changing scene of food habits and beliefs among the Mbaise people of Nigeria. Ecology of food and nutrition 11 (4): 245-250.
A rural Nigeria ethnic group, whose people practice certain food prohibitions, was selected for a survey of current food habits and beliefs. The traditions of the 5 selected communities were found to prohibit certain food items on different scales among different communities. Although these prohibitions have become a part of the people's tradition, they were originally based on superstitions. With recent economic, social and educational improvements in the communities, the younger generations (unlike the older ones) gradually are changing their attitudes toward such food prohibitions.

Uyanga, J . 1979Dec. Food habits and nutritional status in southern Nigeria.__ Journal of tropical geography. 49_: 86-91

Updated: Friday, October 10, 2008.

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